Decisions

Real numbers: Budgeting for a weekend away

Repeat after me: track or you will fail. It doesn’t matter if it’s money, or fitness, or watering your plants, if there is something you want to accomplish and it takes more than a single step to get there, you … Read MoreRead More

The bridge: What you need when you retire early

One of my life’s goals is to become financially independent. This means that I won’t need to rely on work to earn an income. (Yeah, it would be nice if we as a society could move to something approximating universal … Read MoreRead More

When to create a savings bucket

A bucket is my term for a savings account, used for either one-time or ongoing purchases. It’s certainly not a standard financial term. I don’t see it used much on personal finance sites. But the analogy should be clear enough. … Read MoreRead More

Here are the times when I use a credit card

Once of the very first posts on this site was called “How credit cards are like alcohol“. In it, I stated that I didn’t believe that there was anything inherently bad about credit cards, but only that some people can … Read MoreRead More

You can save more (and not have it hurt)

I’m a big fan of Ramit Sethi. (He’s the “I will teach you to be rich” guy.) I bought his Advanced Personal Finance course, and I don’t buy personal finance courses often. (I still do plan on reviewing that product here.) … Read MoreRead More

When you’re asked to buy a protection plan, do this instead

I have a pretty nice laptop. It was bought for me as part of my previous job, and when I left, I negotiated to be able to take it with me. Along with ownership of the laptop came the warranty, … Read MoreRead More

Should you do your own taxes?

I remember being a kid and watch my dad do the family’s taxes. I remember our dining room table covered and overflowing with various papers and documents. It seemed like he was there for weeks. In the U.S., assuming that … Read MoreRead More

Night window

It’s time for new beginnings (and uncertainty). Are you ready?

“We overestimate what we can accomplish in a day, and underestimate what we can accomplish in a year.” That’s one of my favorite quotes about time and productivity. And it has certainly played out over and over. Here it is … Read More

Stockberg panorama

Year in review 2018: Your top 10 favorite posts

It’s the end of the year, and I’m recapping the best posts on this site for 2018, as I do every year. In my last post, I recapped my favorite posts of the year. But today, I’m recapping the most-viewed … Read More